CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

35.75° N · 120.69° W · GEOID 0668266

San Miguel

San Luis Obispo County, California · part of the San Luis Obispo, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

CaliforniaSan Miguel, CASan MiguelSan Miguel

The short answer

San Miguel is home to 3,227 people. Median household income is $95,458 a year and median rent is $1,791 a month, 22.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $539,700, about 5.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,791
31% above the median place
Median household income
$95,458
19% above the median place
Median home value
$539,700
69% above the median place
Unemployment
5.5%
12% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about San Miguel

  • Households average 3.63 people, larger than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • 37% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 97% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 8.3% a year while rent rose 1.8%, so pay gained on rent more than in 92% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 30.4 years old, younger than in 94% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $101 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 89% of places its size.
01

Moving to San Miguel

San Luis Obispo County gains about 0.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in10,128
Moved out9,981
Net+147

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$104K
Leavers$77K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of San Luis Obispo County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into San Luis Obispo County report $103,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $77,200, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$71,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,791 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,892 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $539,700.
Getting to work
28 minutes each way on average; 15.2% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Santa Maria, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in7
$103,683
47% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
7.8%
36% above the median place
Moved from another state1
1.5%
23% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSan MiguelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure7.8%36% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%23% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$103,68347% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$77,16810% above
02

What it costs to live here

Median year built is 2000, 1% above the median place.

San Miguel22.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$71,640
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.5%
10% above the median place
Home price to income
5.7x
49% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
23%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$72,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in San Miguel, $1,791 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.3 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like San Miguel, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Nuevo, CA16.3% vs 22.5%$19,800Compare
Yorkshire, VA18.9% vs 22.5%$18,300Compare
Harrisville, UT18.6% vs 22.5%$1,700Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in San Miguel.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to San Miguel? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
2000
1% above the median place
Median home value1
$539,700
69% above the median place
Homeownership1
58.0%
13% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSan MiguelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,79131% above
Rent to income122.5%10% above
Property tax rate10.9%4% below
Home price to income15.7x49% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure108.68% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,72068% above
HUD area median income4County figure$129,60021% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,67643% above
Median home value1$539,70069% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.3%3% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure47.5%8% below
Homeownership158.0%13% below
Renters paying 30%+152.0%3% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8921% above
Vacant homes1County figure12.9%82% above
Median year built120001% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$29,156
27% below the median place
Mean commute1
28 min
13% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSan MiguelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$95,45819% above
Income per person1$29,15627% below
Unemployment1County figure5.5%12% above
Average annual pay6County figure$64,5612% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure5.3%43% above
Jobs6County figure121,63419% below
Poverty rate1County figure12.9%20% above
Mean commute128 min13% above
Works from home1County figure15.2%22% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Household size is 3.6, 45% above the median place.

Household size1
3.6
45% above the median place
High school or higher1
73.7%
20% below the median place
Born abroad1
37.3%
323% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age30.4 −22%
No health insurance15.8% 2.5×
Bachelor's or higher16.4% −49%
Homes with broadband89.9% −3%
All 8 people measures
MeasureSan MiguelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,2276646th largest
Median age130.422% below
Bachelor's or higher116.4%49% below
High school or higher173.7%20% below
Household size13.645% above
Born abroad137.3%323% above
No health insurance115.8%147% above
Homes with broadband189.9%3% below
05

Life in San Miguel

2 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

  • Mission San Miguel Arcangel listed 1971Landmark
  • Caledonia Adobe listed 1971

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents24.8 2.4×
Playgrounds per 10k18.6 +98%
Grocery stores per 10k3.1 +46%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k27.9 2.5×
Libraries per 10k3.1 3.6×
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.8 8.5×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars30.9 +49%
Shops38.3 +26%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.5 +34%
Doctors' offices and clinics30.9 +53%
Child care centers3.6 +57%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students11
517
89% below the median place
Public schools11
3
67% below the median place
Students per teacher11
17.8
16% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSan MiguelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11367% below
Public school students1151789% below
Students per teacher1117.816% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure30.949% above
Shops per 10k8County figure38.326% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.534% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure30.953% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.657% above
Parks per 10k924.8144% above
Playgrounds per 10k918.698% above
Grocery stores per 10k93.146% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k927.9150% above
Libraries per 10k93.1256% above
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi91.8above (median 0.2)
National Register listings10285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 6.1, 92% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached San Miguel. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk13
6.1
92% below the median place
Wildfire risk13
98.3
61% above the median place
Annual precipitation12
17.1 in
61% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureSan MiguelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure88°F1% above
January average low12County figure38°F51% above
Average temperature12County figure60°F9% above
Annual precipitation12County figure17.1 in61% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure95.94% above
Tornado risk13County figure6.192% below
Wildfire risk13County figure98.361% above
Heat wave risk13County figure78.713% below
Median air quality index14County figure5016% above
Good air days14County figure52.3%24% below
08

San Miguel in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 23% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,791/mo (2024)$2,250/mo$1,850 to $2,740/mo+3.9%
Median household income$95,458 (2024)$122,500$103,500 to $145,000+4.3%
Median home value$539,700 (2024)$784,000$569,000 to $1,081,000+6.4%

The median home would be worth 6.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like San Miguel

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Santa Maria, CA$1,925$84,746Compare
Lakeland Village, CA$1,858$85,748Compare
Perris, CA$1,876$88,911Compare
Patterson, CA$1,655$93,650Compare
Patterson, CAPerris, CALakeland Village, CASanta Maria, CASan Miguel, CASan MiguelLakeland VillagePerrisPattersonSan MiguelLakeland VillagePerrisPatterson

Common questions

Is San Miguel a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Households average 3.63 people, larger than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. 37% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 97% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 31 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is San Miguel expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $539,700.

What salary do you need to live in San Miguel?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $71,640 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to San Miguel?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Santa Maria, CA, Lakeland Village, CA, Perris, CA and Patterson, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares San Miguel with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for San Miguel itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/san-miguel-california

Citytistics. “San Miguel, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/san-miguel-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.